Flying has in today's society become a common way to travel quickly between different locations. Air travel and air transport give rise to many great possibilities but also give rise to a number of problems. One of the problems associated with air travel is that the air in the aircraft's cabin compartments is cooled or heated between flights in conjunction with the aircraft, for a shorter or longer period of time, being parked waiting for the next flight. A need to heat or cool the cabin air is usually present, especially during a long period of parking. The need to heat or cool the cabin air varies with the climate, temperature, where the plane is parked. In particularly hot or cold outside temperatures, the problems become challenging. In particularly hot or cold climate conditions, problems with cabin air temperature may become considerable and in the worst case health endangering for passengers.
One problem with cooling or heating the air in an aircraft cabin is that the aircraft's engines usually have to be running in order to obtain a satisfactory climate in the aircraft. Keeping the engines running for a long time before flight departure causes increases in fuel costs and an increased burden on the environment.
Because of the fact that flight (air travel) has a negative environmental impact, there is an ambition to reduce the impact that flight along with its accompanying facilities entail. One of the greatest environmental problems associated with flight are the emissions from the aircraft's burned fuel. Furthermore it has become all more important to operate all equipment associated with flight in a more environmentally friendly manner. It is therefore an ambition of airports to utilize energy from alternative energy sources to power the necessary accompanying equipment such as for example climate smart air conditioning systems and other systems with energy sources that allow for a reduction in environmental impact more than existing energy sources do.
Another problem associated with aircraft parked on the ground is corrosion caused by moisture in the air. This problem is especially problematic in aircraft which have been parked on the ground for a longer period of time.
Another problem with existing designs of climate control systems for aircraft is that they are usually placed on the ground, for example on a wagon (cart) or another type of vehicle. The placement of a climate control system on a wagon on the ground causes a risk of the wagon being in the way for vehicles and employees performing work related tasks in proximity of the parked aircraft. A considerable amount of work is involved to move these wagons from one position to another. There are also problems with the climate control system's hoses, cords and the like that during use lie on the ground. For example conduits, hoses and cords may cause hindrances for vehicles and personnel and even increase the risk of injuries.
One problem with existing designs is that they essentially only may be used for one application where each product is adapted to the specific application. Thus, these are intended to be used on the wagon or stored and not for both applications.
Another problem in conjunction with embarking and debarking aircraft is climate control in interior spaces in the so called “boarding bridges” and the like. It is difficult to heat and cool existing designs of boarding bridges in an efficient manner.
Another problem in proximity to aircraft parked on the ground is to achieve an efficient melting of snow (ice) around and under the parked aircraft. Currently, electrically powered systems are for example utilized for snow melting, creating the need for more cost efficient types of snow melting.
One problem with existing designs of air conditioning systems for aircraft is that they cool air down to below freezing temperatures such as down to −25 degrees C. and in extreme cases down to −40 degrees C. This in turn may create the need for defrosting in order to remove frost build-up and the like caused by the extremely cold air.
Another problem with existing systems is that they are powered by electricity. Presently, there is a significant need within the flight (air travel) industry, in as great an extent as possible, to chose more environment friendly alternatives than that which is currently used.